diff --git a/proof.go b/proof.go
index bc9c1799..2db25890 100644
--- a/proof.go
+++ b/proof.go
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func (proof Proof) VerifyNamespace(h hash.Hash, nID namespace.ID, leaves [][]byt
 // If the verifyCompleteness parameter is set to true, the function also checks
 // the completeness of the proof by verifying that there is no leaf in the
 // tree represented by the root parameter that matches the namespace ID nID
-// but is not present in the leafHashes list.
+// outside the leafHashes list.
 func (proof Proof) VerifyLeafHashes(nth *Hasher, verifyCompleteness bool, nID namespace.ID, leafHashes [][]byte, root []byte) (bool, error) {
 	// check that the proof range is valid
 	if proof.Start() < 0 || proof.Start() >= proof.End() {
@@ -248,13 +248,25 @@ func (proof Proof) VerifyLeafHashes(nth *Hasher, verifyCompleteness bool, nID na
 			return false, fmt.Errorf("proof nodes do not match the NMT hasher's hash format: %w", err)
 		}
 	}
-	// check that all the proof.nodes are valid w.r.t the NMT hasher
-	for _, leaf := range leafHashes {
-		if err := nth.ValidateNodeFormat(leaf); err != nil {
+	// check that all the leafHashes are valid w.r.t the NMT hasher
+	for _, leafHash := range leafHashes {
+		if err := nth.ValidateNodeFormat(leafHash); err != nil {
 			return false, fmt.Errorf("leaf hash does not match the NMT hasher's hash format: %w", err)
 		}
 	}
 
+	// check that the namespace of leafHashes is the same as the queried namespace, except for the case of absence proof
+	if !proof.IsOfAbsence() { // in case of absence proof, the leafHash is the hash of a leaf next to the queried namespace, hence its namespace ID is not the same as the queried namespace ID
+		// check the namespace of all the leaf hashes to be the same as the queried namespace
+		for _, leafHash := range leafHashes {
+			minNsID := MinNamespace(leafHash, nth.NamespaceSize())
+			maxNsID := MaxNamespace(leafHash, nth.NamespaceSize())
+			if !nID.Equal(minNsID) || !nID.Equal(maxNsID) {
+				return false, fmt.Errorf("leaf hash %x does not belong to namespace %x", leafHash, nID)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	var leafIndex uint64
 	// leftSubtrees is to be populated by the subtree roots upto [0, r.Start)
 	leftSubtrees := make([][]byte, 0, len(proof.nodes))
diff --git a/proof_test.go b/proof_test.go
index 62d5a797..291de098 100644
--- a/proof_test.go
+++ b/proof_test.go
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ func TestVerifyNamespace_False(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestVerifyLeafHashes_False(t *testing.T) {
-	nIDs := []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}
+	nIDs := []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9}
 
 	// create a sample tree with namespace ID size of 1
 	nmt1 := exampleNMT(1, true, nIDs...)
@@ -532,6 +532,21 @@ func TestVerifyLeafHashes_False(t *testing.T) {
 	proof4_1, err := nmt1.ProveNamespace(nid4_1) // leaf at index 3 has namespace ID 4
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
+	leafHash1 := nmt1.leafHashes[3]
+
+	// corrupt the namespace of the leafHash
+	leafHash1Corrupted := make([]byte, len(leafHash1))
+	copy(leafHash1Corrupted, leafHash1)
+	leafHash1Corrupted[0] = 0 // change the min namespace
+	leafHash1Corrupted[1] = 0 // change the max namespace
+
+	// create an absence proof with namespace ID size of 1
+	nid5_1 := namespace.ID{5}
+	absenceProof5_1, err := nmt1.ProveNamespace(nid5_1)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	leafHash6_1 := nmt1.leafHashes[4]
+	assert.Equal(t, leafHash6_1, absenceProof5_1.leafHash)
+
 	// create a sample tree with namespace ID size of 2
 	nmt2 := exampleNMT(2, true, nIDs...)
 	root2, err := nmt2.Root()
@@ -540,7 +555,6 @@ func TestVerifyLeafHashes_False(t *testing.T) {
 	proof4_2, err := nmt2.ProveNamespace(nid4_2) // leaf at index 3 has namespace ID 4
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	leafHash1 := nmt1.leafHashes[3]
 	leafHash2 := nmt2.leafHashes[3]
 
 	type args struct {
@@ -563,6 +577,8 @@ func TestVerifyLeafHashes_False(t *testing.T) {
 		{"size of queried nID < nID size of VerifyLeafHashes' nmt hasher", proof4_2, args{2, nid4_1, [][]byte{leafHash2}, root2}, false},
 		{"nID size of leafHash < nID size of VerifyLeafHashes' nmt hasher", proof4_2, args{2, nid4_2, [][]byte{leafHash1}, root2}, false},
 		{"nID size of leafHash > nID size of VerifyLeafHashes' nmt hasher", proof4_1, args{1, nid4_1, [][]byte{leafHash2}, root1}, false},
+		{"nID of leafHashes do not match the queried nID", proof4_1, args{1, nid4_1, [][]byte{leafHash1Corrupted}, root1}, false},
+		{"absence proof: nID of leafHashes do not match the queried nID, which is a valid case", absenceProof5_1, args{1, nid5_1, [][]byte{leafHash6_1}, root1}, true},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {